If you travel by plane, you know that when your plane takes off, the pilot tells the passengers to stay in their seats and buckle the seatbelts. At times the pilot will warn “We expect turbulence for a few moments, so please stay buckled up.”. When you start any new lifestyle, job, business, or transition, you will experience turbulence.

Strong people expect to experience problems on their journeys to their goals / destinations. Weak people are surprised and dismayed when things don’t work out the way they had anticipated. They get angry, lash out, blame others for their problems. Some become depressed or irrational. You will largely determine your success by your ability to effectively respond to problems as they arise. Anyone can learn strategies to deal with problems effectively.

Firstly, expect to have problems…

…disappointments, temporary failures. Don’t be shocked, surprised, or angry when they occur. Instead take a deep breath, relax, and say “let’s tackle this”. Each time you solve a problem you will become more capable of solving even bigger problems. The major reward you will get for solving problems is the opportunity to solve even bigger problems. Superior people are solution oriented. They think about solutions instead of problems and who is to blame. They look to the future and continually think about what they can do immediately to control the damage, minimize the problem, and move ahead. One of the best strategies you can use is to practice mental preparation for problems.

Resolve in advance that no matter what happens, you will stay calm and relax.

When you deal with unexpected turbulence in your professional or personal life, you will keep calm, clear, and focus on asking questions rather than (over)reacting. Get the facts. What exactly is the problem? How did it occur? Sometimes the solution is in the problem. Asking questions keeps you calm and in control. Focus on the solution.

Once you have clearly defined the problem and what you can do to solve or minimize it, take responsibility for doing it or assign responsibility for doing it to someone else. Think about what you can do. Just as a pilot facing turbulence keeps both hands on the wheel and the eyes on the gauges, when you experience problems, you must take command of the situation and steer it in the right direction. You become a pilot of your destiny when you effectively deal with the inevitable storms that occur in your work and personal life.

And if you feel that you need a copilot for navigating through a current problem, let’s talk.